And So, It Continues
by keikopanda102
Summary: Second Generation Fic, mostly focussed on my attempted canon views of a slash between Scorpius and Albus Severus. My friends wanted to write a Second Gen fic, but I didn't like their characterization, so I wrote my own. May change rating later. Oneshots.
1. Chapter 1

**This may be the first of an ongoing Fanfiction involving mostly Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Severus Potter and perhaps a few other second generation kids too… but I don't know if there will be more so for now it's just a sweet oneshot. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry or his children. XD**

**Please read the following notes before reading this story!**

**The story presumes the idea that Scorpius and Albus met before becoming Hogwart's students. It also presumed that while on the Hogwart's Express, James and maybe a few others were bad-talking Slytherin while Scorpius and Albus were both present, probably similar to the conversation Lily Evans and Severus Snape had with James Potter I and Sirius Black when THEY were on the train on the way to their sorting. **

**Another note: on Harry Potter Wiki it says that McGonagall would not be Headmistress while the second generation attends Hogwarts, having retired shortly beforehand but because I like the idea of McGonagall and I don't really know who I would replace her with in this story, McGonagall it stays.**

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><p><strong>Year 1 - First Day of School<strong>

"Everyone to their house dormitories," Headmistress McGonagall's voice rang throughout the Great Hall. "First Years, be sure to keep close to your house prefects so as to not get lost on your very first night!"

"Gryffindor first years, follow me!" A tall, strict-looking and familiar witch called over Albus Severus' head. He caught her eye and his cousin, Molly Weasley, smiled kindly back at him before gesturing for the other brand new Hogwarts Gryffindors to follow her out of the Great Hall in an "orderly fashion."

While trying to keep up with another of his cousins, Rose Weasley, as well as the other first years in his group, Albus heard another voice boom from just behind him.

"Slytherin first years, this way!"

He spun around just in time to catch the eye of the one person he'd hoped to catch the eye of; Scorpius Malfoy, a first year, like himself, but newly announced Slytherin. He couldn't help feel a little bit down about not being placed in the same house as the only friend he'd made who wasn't a member of his family, but it was clear from the depressed expression on Scorpius' face who was more upset about this arrangement.

All of the sudden there was a great commotion at the foot of the stairs that led up to the dormitories. It seemed Portia Finksy had lost track of her pygmy puff and was desperately trying to find it amongst the crowded hallway. It had caused a rather large mess and soon all the first years were being crushed together which, as it so happened, was perfect for young Scorpius and Albus.

Just as the commotion in the hallway finally attracted the attention of Peeves, Scorpius noticed a small closet off to the side, grabbed a hold of Albus' arm, dragged him unwittingly into said closet, and shut the door.

"Scorpius!" Albus said nervously as Scorpius pulled a switch and turned the light on inside the messy closet. He was not very sure about the idea of breaking the rules on his very first day. "We're going to get in trouble! They said we had to stick close, don't you remember? What if they leave us behind, we'll never find our-"

"So I guess that's it then?" Scorpius cut him off, staring fiercely.

"W- what's it?" Albus asked, clearly not understanding something.

"We can't be friends anymore," Scorpius hissed, clearly upset, "because I'm in- I'm in _Slytherin_! I didn't really want to be, you know, but the Sorting Hat said-"

"There's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin," Albus said ardently. "Why would that mean we couldn't be friends?"

Scorpius bit his lip then closed his eyes and yelled,

"Because you're in Gryffindor! And you heard what everyone was saying on the train about Slytherins and Gryffindors! They aren't supposed to get along! Everyone thinks Slytherins are horrible…"

"Slytherins can't possibly be horrible," Albus said as though it were obvious.

"Why not?" Scorpius replied with a frustrated quiver in his voice.

"Because you're in Slytherin, Scorpius," Albus said with a bright smile glowing on his face.

Scorpius stared at him in astonishment for a moment then sniffed and rubbed his eyes so not to show how worried he really was about being put in Slytherin house, then he looked up and smiled. Albus smiled back and added excitedly,

"Besides, did you know one of the best Headmasters Hogwarts has ever seen was a Slytherin? And my dad says he was really brave and cool too. I'm named after him, actually!"

Scorpius sniffed again and frowned in confusion.

"You're named after Phineas Nigellus Black?"

"What?" Albus asked. "Who? No, Severus Snape! My middle name is Severus."

"Oh," Scorpius said with a nod. "That makes more sense. Phineas Nigellus Black wasn't a very good Headmaster from what I've read about him. But… now that you mention it, wasn't Severus Snape only Headmaster for a really short time? What was so great about him?"

Albus shrugged. "I dunno, but I trust what my Dad says about him. He wouldn't have named me after him if he weren't a really amazing person though. How do you know so much about Hogwarts Headmasters though?"

"I've read Hogwarts, A History, the new edition which includes the Battle of Hogwarts that happened here about 19 years ago, at least three times already since I got it. I had to beg my Dad to buy it for me since he didn't think it was-"

All of the sudden the door of the closet the two boys were inside sprung open. Albus and Scorpius stared up at Headmistress McGonagall with expressions of frozen horror on their faces as she glanced between the two of them.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, would either of you like to explain what is going on in here?"

The two boys turned to each other nervously.

"Er…" They replied in unison.

Headmistress McGonagall arched an eyebrow down at them and sighed.

"Mr. Malfoy, if you run along down that hallway you may still have time to catch up to the rest of your class. Mr. Potter, the same for you up the stairs. Hurry along now, and I had better not find the two of you in any more closets when you are supposed to be with your class again."

The two boys gave each other charming smiles as they ran clumsily in the directions she had pointed them.

Perhaps it was something about the sight of a Gryffindor and a Slytherin actually behaving friendly with one another, but she found herself being rather less strict than usual. She hadn't even taken off any points. She hoped that perhaps the two boys she had just found would be the beginning of new relationships between Gryffindor House and Slytherin. Truth be told, it was about time something was done about their silly rivalry.

As she strolled along the hallways of the school, Minerva McGongall had the strangest premonition. If she believed at all in predicting the future she would have thought harder upon this fleeting feeling. As it were, she just shook her head and continued on towards her office.

She had absolutely no idea as of yet how many times she would find Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy together in the many closets, cupboards, and storage rooms present inside Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

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><p><strong>And that's that. If I do continue this with more chapters, be warned; they probably won't have much of a plot. Also, this WILL be ScorpiusAlbus slash, in case you were wondering, but that would come later anyhow. **

**Review? You know you want to! XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Year 1 - Fall**

It wasn't that Scorpius _hated _Rose Weasley.

He just didn't like her most of the time because it seemed that at every opportunity she said something that made it seem like she was smarter than he was, and that he couldn't stand.

He had read every schoolbook, some at least four times, but no matter how he tried to outdo her she always seemed to come out in front. It was infuriating! He would never prove how smart he was if she kept standing in the way and hogging the light. And all the teachers liked her better for no reason at all. Just because she was a Gryffindor, and a girl, and a suck-up, and a teacher's pet, and a Weasley, and-

No. No, he had to stop thinking like that. There's nothing at all wrong with being a Weasley. After all, Albus was a Weasley too though not in name, and there's nothing wrong with him.

Scorpius hated to admit it, but he was jealous of Rose. For his entire life he strived to be the best, the smartest, the most knowledgeable, and as soon as he began school with every hope of being the brightest in his class, here she comes along and ruins everything he'd worked for!

"Could anyone tell me the potion most commonly used to cure a Fibby Tree of acidic root rot?" Professor Longbottom asked cheerfully one dreary morning in Herbology class. Scorpius and the other first year Slytherins had Herbology with the Gryffindors, both to his joy and to his chagrin.

His joy, because that meant one more class with his very favorite (only favorite, really) Gryffindor, Albus Severus Potter. To his chagrin, because that also meant one more class with Rose.

Both of their hands were up in the air faster than Neville could blink. As they glared at each other, he glanced between the two of them anxiously, finally sighing and nodding towards Rose who smiled and answered happily,

"The Basic Philiquior potion, Professor. Made from ginger root, fragaria blossoms, and liquefied essence of saline. It can only be brewed at a full moon, like all Basic potions."

"Ah, yes, very good Rose, 10 points to Gryffindor. Though I'm sure Mr. Malfoy knew the answer as well."

"Yes," Scorpius said primly. "I did."

"Come on," Albus said soothingly beside Scorpius as Neville went on to describe how to apply the potion to the Fibby Tree itself. "You'll have a chance to answer something later. Neville- I mean, Professor Longbottom wasn't trying to be unfair. You answered the last time, remember? The question about the bugs that eat Figgy Tree leaves-"

"Poffrig Beatles, yeah, I know."

Scorpius exhaled unhappily and cast a sideways glance at Albus, frowning.

"She didn't have to be so happy about being picked, you know! I knew that answer just as well as she did, just because Professor Longbottom _loves_ her-"

"Scorpius, don't. You're being paranoid again. None of our teachers dislike you and none of them favor Rose, either."

"I'm not paranoid!" Scorpius' voice squeaked as he and Albus began digging into their pots of Figgy Trees to try and reveal the roots so the potion could be applied to them directly. "And you know that isn't true, Al. Professor Harthrow hates, hates, hates me! He's never called on me once, no matter how many times I raise my hand to answer."

"Well, I don't have Potions with you so how could I know about that?"

"You were there that one time he caught us eating outside the Great Hall and said we weren't allowed, but only took points off Slytherin! Or the other time he saw us sitting together in the Library and made you move to another table even though we weren't doing anything wrong!"

Albus stopped digging to carefully remove a worm from the dirt and safely place it on another plant at the edge of the greenhouse, then turned back to Scorpius and said hesitantly,

"Alright… Maybe you have a point, but Professor Harthrow's never really nice to anybody. When Rose and I were late to Transfiguration on our first day because we got lost he gave us detention without even stopping to ask why we were late."

"It was so unfair!" Rose piped in, looking around her Figgy Tree and wiping dirt off her forehead.

"No one was talking to you, Weasley!" Scorpius spat before he could stop himself.

As Rose huffed, affronted, and turned back to her plant, Scorpius flinched and looked around guiltily to Albus. He was greeted with a disappointed sigh and green eyes that made him feel at least ten times worse than he already felt when he looked remorsefully into them.

"I'm- I'm sorry Al."

"I know you are, but you still said it."

"It'll never happen again, I promise!"

Albus sighed again and stopped digging. He looked as though he were about to say something but was then cut off by Professor Longbottom addressing the entire class.

"It should be noted that although Herbology is an important subject because the plants we learn about are often used in your potions class, sometimes potions can be just as helpful for the plants we deal with in this class. Potions and Herbology have a beneficial relationship, they help each other out. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes, Professor!" the students from both Gryffindor and Slytherin called back together.

"Very good," Neville smiled over the heads of his little first year students. "Now, everyone should have completely uncovered the roots of their Figgy Trees. Can anyone tell me what are the clues to look for when identifying whether or not a Figgy Tree has acid root rot?"

Instantly, Rose and Scorpius' hands flew into the air at the same time. Again, Neville shook his head, wishing at least one of them was faster than the other, then choosing between them wouldn't give him such a headache.

"Malfoy, would you like to tell us?"

"Shiny, red goo that oozes from inside the root is the most obvious indicator, along with a sickly sweet Figgy fruit smell and decaying roots," he answered proudly. And just as he was beginning to feel bad about saying that Professor Longbottom favored Rose, her hand shot into the air. Neville glanced at her in surprised then pointed to her and she said,

"That is true, but he left out one important indicator; Poffrig Beatles won't go near a Figgy Tree that has acid root rot, and that you can notice without having to look at the roots themselves."

Scorpius's face went red as he glared at her from behind his and Albus's Figgy Tree. He was so steamed he barely heard as he was awarded 10 points for his answer, but heard clearly as she was given another 5 points for her correction of his answer. His hands fisted angrily in his dragon hide gloves.

Scorpius hated to be corrected and he hated to be wrong and in that moment he hated, hated, _hated_ Rose Weasley and nothing Albus said was going to make him hate her any less.

When Herbology ended they went their separate ways, Scorpius and the rest of the Slytherins down towards the dungeons for Potions and Albus, walking right alongside Rose, headed off in another direction. Albus turned around to give Scorpius one last fleeting look, only to be pulled by Rose around a corner before Scorpius could show he'd seen Albus's glance.

Frowning unhappily, Scorpius pushed his bag more securely onto his shoulder, not realize that one of the reasons he hated Rose Weasley the most was because she got to spend a whole lot more time with Albus than he ever did. That actually bothered him even more than her beating him in all their classes.

But, being a Malfoy and having far too much pride, he would never admit it. Not even to himself.

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><p><strong>Now, everyone better not go hating on Rose after this chapter. She's not being mean on purpose, she just likes answering questions, just like her Mum. Little Scorpius just has issues. Issues that WILL be further explored as these student's Hogwarts years continue. <strong>

**I actually had two endings thought-out for this chapter, one that was cutely romantic between Scorpius and Albus and this one. I think I chose the right one, the other can happen another time so no worries. **

**Thanks for everyone who story alerted this and favorited it and everything already! I appreciate the love! XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Year 1 – Halloween**

"Al!" James called as he came up the last stair into the Owlery. "Al, are you up here again? You'd better be because I just climbed all these stairs and-"

"Over here, James!"

Through a flurry of feathers, James rounded a corner and saw his younger brother standing amidst at least twelve different owls, his hands outstretched, offering them food that had clearly been taken from the Great Hall and purposefully brought here to be fed to these owls. James sighed as he took another step towards his brother, causing a few of the shyer birds to fly back up to their perches somewhere farther up the tower.

"Look, Hagrid's invited me to tea and I came to find you to see if you wanted to come along as well."

Albus turned green eyes upon him as the last of his food was stolen by a large hazel owl who nearly took a few of Albus's fingers along with him when he snatched the food Al had been offering.

"Franklin!" Al called up after the thieving bird, sounding rather like a mother reprimanding her child. "That was rude, Franklin. There was plenty for everybody, you didn't have to steal."

"Just drop it, Al, and be grateful he didn't bite off your whole hand. These school owls can be dangerous, you need to be more careful."

Albus turned upon James with a sarcastic look and said, "_You're _telling _me_ to be careful? Aren't you the one who spends half your time trying to find a way to sneak into the Forbidden Forest, or taunting the Womping Willow, or-"

"Yeah, alright, but _I'm _a second year and I can take care of myself. Besides, Mum'll kill me if you get your fingers torn off by a giant bird or get drowned while trying to befriend the giant squid. She always blames me when something happens to you. Just because you're disaster-prone doesn't mean I'm respon-"

"I am not disaster-prone!" Albus replied indignantly.

James smirked; he could tell Albus was getting riled up. Brother taunting was one of James's favorite pastimes and Albus always made it fun no matter how often he did it.

"That time at the haunted well?" James asked with an arrogantly raised eyebrow and his head tilted to one side.

"You said you were going to push me in! I was only five, James, and you kept saying the ghoul was going to get me!"

"You didn't have to go and fall in, though. It's a good thing Dad's not afraid of ghouls."

"_You were taunting me_!" Albus hissed, his cheeks flushed with the embarrassment of the memory. "Everything bad that happens to me is _always_ your fault!"

James rolled his eyes, already bored with teasing his brother.

"Whatever. Are you coming to Hagrid's or not?"

Albus hesitated for a moment as a smaller owl landed on his shoulder and attempted to peck at his ear. He pushed it away and exhaled, looking as though he were trying to choose between two things he wanted very much. Albus had never been good at choosing.

"It has been a while since I've seen Hagrid. And Fang as well, but…"

"What? Do you have some more owls to feed?"

"No!" Albus replied as his cheeks flushed again with color. "I was going to meet…" He trailed off, hoping his brother wouldn't catch on to what he was going to say. James was rather cleverer than he though, and figured out the rest of Albus's sentence easily.

"You were going to meet up with your Slytherin friend, weren't you?"

"Don't call him that, James! His name's Scorpius."

"No, it's not. His name is Malfoy and he's a Slytherin. And a Malfoy, Al! You should hear some of the stories Uncle Ron has about the Malfoys and all the things they've done. Malfoys and Weasleys don't get along, and neither do Slytherins and Gryffindors!"

"Why do you have to be so mean to him, James? You don't even know him!"

"I know he's a Slytherin and that's good enough for me," James replied coolly. Albus stood a few feet from him glaring. The older of the brothers sighed. Teasing his younger brother was one thing; actually making him angry was another. He didn't like arguing with Albus. It made him feel guilty because he knew both of his parents would disapprove of their arguing, besides he wasn't being a good big brother when he did things like that.

He turned around and headed for the exit, stopping to glance back at Albus and say flatly,

"I'm going to Hagrid's. You can still come if you want."

He continued towards the exit and stopped again, his big brother senses catching up with him. He sighed and turned around to make sure Albus was listening as he said reluctantly,

"It's starting to get colder, so don't stay up here for too much longer. Or at least wear an extra scarf, alright? Mum'll never forgive me if you get a cold on my watch."

Albus nodded, staring determinedly at the dropping-covered floor of the Owlery. Without another glance, James left the stone tower and began the long decent of stairs leading back towards the grounds.

Sometimes it was hard, being an older brother. James hoped he was doing a good enough job.

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><p><strong>I'm trying to keep the chapters balanced as far as the characters featured in them. The first was pretty even between Albus and Scorpius, and the second was Scorpius-heavy. I wanted to make this one more about Albus but it ended up being more James-y. I think the next is Albus though.<strong>

**I like oneshots. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Year 1 – First flying lesson **

Both Albus and Scorpius were thrilled to hear that the Slytherins and Gryffindors would be having their flying lessons together. Flying and Quidditch were two things that seemed almost universal; everyone had something to say about them and nearly everyone liked them. James was already looking forward to trying out for the Gryffindor team now that he was a second year. Albus, though usually not as sports-inclined as his brother, enjoyed flying and was actually rather good at it. Being the son of a famous dark wizard catcher almost came second once people heard your mother was a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies.

Scorpius liked to fly as well. His father had made sure he at least new how. He hadn't wanted his son to get to school with no knowledge of being on a broomstick. Though it wasn't particularly his favorite thing to do, he had a few nice memories of learning to fly with his father.

Mostly, Albus and Scorpius were glad to have just a bit more time together.

They left the Great Hall together and made their way towards the practice field on the day of their first lesson. They were the first ones there and had just enough time to tell each other the stories of the first time they ever flew when the other Slytherin and Gryffindor first years appeared and the conversation grew beyond just the two of them.

The students had been waiting outside for quite a while before a figure approached them from a bit of a distance off.

"I think that's Madam Hooch, the one who's supposed to teach us," Rose said, squinting back towards the school, the direction the figure was coming from.

Madam Hooch was moving very slowly towards them and hauling behind her a large crate of brooms. When she finally reached them she was breathing rather hard and leaning on the crate of brooms to keep upright.

Scorpius and Albus glanced at each other, as did the other students. It appeared to them that Madam Hooch was far past the age of retirement. Her hair was no longer gray, but pure white, and wispy, a lot like the clouds that passed by over their heads, but when she looked up at them her eyes were just as hawk-like as always.

"Well," she wheezed after having finally caught her breath, "Come get a broomstick and lay it on the ground beside you. Form two lines."

They all rushed forward and did as she commanded. She wheezed in between the two lines and took a deep breath. Everyone leaned in as she stood frozen in her breath, a few wondering if she might not die just right there in front of them. Somehow, age seemed better on McGonagall.

She inhaled again and a few people, including Albus and Rose, relaxed, shaking their heads in amusement. She then told them to place their hand above their brooms and say "up." She said it in the kind of voice one says something they've been saying for many years. Once everyone had their broom in hand she allowed them to fly around a bit.

Albus watched from the air as she waved her wand a conjured a chair for herself. He smiled at Scorpius.

"Wanna race?"

"Yeah!" Scorpius replied happily.

"How about… to the edge of the forest and back?"

"Ready? Go!"

They sped off without looking back. It was clear Madam Hooch wasn't paying much attention so they didn't have to worry too much about getting into any trouble. When they reached the edge of the woods, Albus having outdistanced Scorpius by the smallest amount (though he did admit Scorpius's broom seemed to fly a bit strangely and agreed to a rematch on their personal brooms), they agreed to put on a little show for the others who weren't as skilled fliers as they were. Rose was one of those who lacked flying skill; she didn't want to go much higher than 2 feet off the ground.

They sped back, gathering speed to pull off the trick they had planned out. When they were just over the heads of the other first years, they spun around facing each other, moving still at top speed. Just before they were about to crash, Scorpius ducked lower and Albus high, then came around again and spun skillfully around each others brooms to a chorus of oohs and aahs from Slytherins and Gryffindors alike.

Scorpius felt as though it would be one of his favorite memories for a very long time.

When they landed Rose came up to them, casting a nervous glance at Scoprius because she knew of his dislike of her, and said,

"You were both brilliant! You fly together so well, you almost looked like you could predict each other's motion."

There was a moment of hesitation from Scorpius, but he looked from Rose to the ground and said aloofly,

"Thanks."

Albus smiled, hoping Rose's natural friendliness would help cure Scorpius of some of his _un_friendliness.

Rose had been right though, flying with Scorpius was a lot of fun. He felt their flying styles were similar, neither liked too much competitive flying, even their race hadn't really been serious. He didn't think either of them would be particularly good at Quidditch but those air tricks they had done were very nice, and he never turned down a nice, relaxing fly just for the fun of it. He and his father had taken a few of those together and he always enjoyed them. Sometimes he even brought along Asha, his pet ferret, though she slept through most of the actual flying.

The rest of the "lesson" (it didn't feel much like a lesson once Madam Hooch began snoring) consisted mainly of Albus and Scorpius teaching the ones who'd never flown or who were just having trouble a few tricks. Scorpius felt like it was the first time since he got to Hogwarts that he was relaxing and having fun. He wasn't looking forward to going back to the cold Slytherin common room to study.

"Why don't we study together then?" Albus asked thoughtfully when Madam Hooch finally awoke and began shouting that class was over and for them to pack away the broomsticks. He slipped the broom he'd been using back into the crate and waited for Scorpius to do the same.

Scorpius returned his broom and looked thoughtful as he marched beside Albus back towards the castle for lunch.

"In the library?"

"It should be fine," Albus said, "as long as Professor Harthrow doesn't catch us, right?"

"Yeah," Scorpius replied darkly.

"Oh come on, Scorpius, I was kind of joking. He doesn't hate you, I promise."

Scorpius gave him a feeble smile, which Albus returned broadly. When they reached the entrance to the Great Hall, Albus looked like he remembered something and headed towards the stairs, calling back over the crowds of students that were rushing in for lunch,

"I'll be right back, Scorpius! I just remembered I got a new chocolate frog card I wanted to show you but I left it in the common room! I'll meet you later!"

Scorpius waved as Albus was swallowed by the crowd. He dropped his hand once he entered the Great Hall and stomped unhappily over to the Slytherin table. He was beginning to realize just how much his happiness was determined by whether or not Albus was within reaching distance of him. Every time they had to separate he just felt a little bit worse.

He wished he knew why that was, but it had him stumped.

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><p><strong>I just like the idea of them bonding over brooms, okay. XD<strong>

**I did not read over this so it probably has a lot of mistakes but oh well. It's getting posted anyway.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Note to read before reading:**

**I usually write fanfiction using ONLY book canon because I generally dislike all movie canon and don't count it as canon whatsoever. BUT, in light of the recent and, actually quite fantastic, final movie in which Albus Severus Potter was shown to have a pet ferret (as opposed to a pet owl like in the book) I may have changed my mind. I found the ferret endearing so I'm going to use it (movie canon it may be) in this fic. I hope everyone can understand my choice. Enjoy this chapter!**

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><p><strong>Year 1 – Winter<strong>

Asha, Albus's pet ferret, was actually a gift from his Grandpa Weasley. She was given to Albus on his tenth birthday, much to his delight, as he had always loved animals and dreamed of having his own to take care of.

He named her Asha after one of the witches in the "The Fountain of Fair Fortune," a story from the "Tales of Beetle the Bard" that his mother told him and his sister before they went to sleep (James said that he was too old for children's stories after he turned ten himself, though his father often caught him listening in just outside the bedroom door). He thought the name was fitting, especially because she was a bit ashen in color.

Asha and Albus fell in the love the moment they set their eyes on one another. Albus thought Asha was the most beautiful pet in the entire world and nearly set James's hair on fire when he tried telling him that an owl would be much more useful. Albus had a way with animals. Asha had never been held more gently than when Albus first picked her up. He knew all the right places to scratch her, and all her favorite foods and napping places. She couldn't have asked for a better owner.

She actually loved everyone in the Potter household, with the exception of James's owl, Valiant. Whenever they caught sight of each other she glared her small, beady eyes into his large, brown ones. She didn't much care for James either, because he often smelled like Valiant and he was rarely nice to Albus.

When Albus packed her away into a large birdcage she was rather curious as to where she was being taken. Though she didn't like the noisy train station, the train ride itself was rather enjoyable. She mostly slept the whole way in Albus's pocket but when she did wake up for a few seconds he let her nibble on the leg of a chocolate frog.

When they reached Hogwart's itself she settled in just like it was home. She could often be found lounging around Gryffindor common room when Albus was in class. Everyone knew not to bother her while she was sleeping and wanted to play with her if she were awake.

She spent all of her time possible inside Albus's robes, though. There was no place warmer and no place she felt safer.

Asha was very cautious. She stayed within Albus's robes unless Albus called her out, he seemed in danger or excited, or something outside smelled particularly interesting. When inside his robes she stayed curled in an inside pocket or around his arm. If she did poke her head out of the collar of Albus's robes, she always hesitated until Albus noticed her there and let her know whether or not it was a good time to come out. He also told her whether a person was friendly or not, though she could usually tell that just by the way Albus's body reacted to whoever was around him.

James always made Albus's blood boil, so she wasn't too fond of him, but on the train to Hogwarts she had met a new person, a blonde human who Albus seemed to like very much. When she had climbed out of Albus's shirt and onto his shoulder, Scorpius had been very kind about scratching her head, though he would never be as good at it as Albus was.

One afternoon she was curled happily in Albus's pocket, listening to the muffled sound of his voice as he excitably explained something to, she assumed, Scorpius. The rate of his heartbeat indicated it was someone he liked but felt less comfortable around than a member of his family like Rose. The only person who was like that was Scorpius. She feltl when Albus sat down and she relaxed easily into his warmth. After a while she heard him say something and move his arm as if to wave, then his chest expanded and contracted in a great sigh. She climbed out of her warm spot to investigate, poking her head up and nudging Albus's neck with her nose. He turned to her and smiled as she climbed out and laid herself around his neck.

"You're much warmer than a scarf, Asha," he said, stroking the end of her tail.

He sighed again.

"Asha, why am I so useless? Everyone likes James better than me. I'm the one everyone always forgets about in our family."

Asha wished she could tell him that she didn't forget about him. She just snuggled closer to his warm, soft skin.

"I don't know why I'm in Gryffindor either," he said unhappily. "I'm not brave. I'm scared of everything! Scorpius is better in class than I am. I wish I could be more like him, Asha.

"He's always calm, and he's smart, and cool. I wish I could teach him to be nicer though. But I think he's doing better lately! He doesn't glare at Rose every time she answers a question in class anymore. And he's smiling a lot. He looks much nicer when he smiles." He trailed off and all Asha could hear was the wind blowing across the lake and onto the shore. It was brisk outside. It had snowed the night before and Asha could smell in the air that it was going to snow again tonight. Albus sighed again.

"Scorpius is the best thing about Hogwarts, Asha."

He stayed sitting beneath a tree near the bank of the lake for a few more moments then stood and said,

"Alright, time to go inside. James will yell at me again if I stay too long outside. It's not my fault winter's my favorite holiday. I just love snow. It's beautiful, don't you think?"

Asha liked winter too, though her favorite part of winter wasn't snow. She got to have her favorite part of winter once they reached the Gryffindor common room and got to sit close to the roaring fire to warm themselves up. She especially liked curling up in her master's lap as he fell asleep in front of the fire.

That was her very favorite thing to do.

* * *

><p><strong>I actually want Albus's pet ferret to be a major character, as ridiculous as that seems. I feel like these are the kinds of thoughts Hedwig must have had towards Harry, though probably intensified because Albus absolutely pours attention and love onto Asha, and he just has a way with animals. <strong>

**I have a whole plotline planned out for Asha, actually. XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**Year 1 – Middle of winter**

It was cold in the Slytherin common room. Then again, it was always cold in the Slytherin common room.

But Scorpius didn't hate the cold. It was rather familiar. The stonework and lanterns reminded him of home and his family. The cold, dark quality of the common room did often make him feel a bit sleepy though. He had been sitting alone on one of solitary black leather chairs a bit farter from the fireplace, trying to work out a spell for charms class that was giving him trouble. Charms had never been his best subject. He was more skilled in Transfiguration and, though it didn't really take much skill, History of Magic.

He yawned and tossed his wand into his lap, giving up on the charm for the time being. He would get back to it later, besides, Professor Wickflit always gave his class far more time to learn a new spell than was necessary. He closed his eyes and started to drift off, thinking of home, and of his family…

* * *

><p>As a child, Scorpius had always been rather wary of his grandfather. Typically, grandfathers come in two kinds; the friendly, Santa Clause kind and the grumpy, grouchy, old man kind. Lucius Malfoy was more of the second.<p>

But because the Malfoy family was very close he wound up spending a fair bit of time around his grandfather, enough so that he, at the very least, didn't fear him. He simply had a healthy respect for his grandfather and understood from an early age that he needed to do whatever it took to please him because in the end, that would make life much easier. His own father seemed to have the same idea when it came to dealing with his father.

On the day before Scorpius would be going off to Hogwart's, his grandparents on both his mother and father's sides came over for dinner to see him off. His grandparents on his mother's side were far less strict, and also involved far less in his life. He called them Granny and Grandad.

Though he was used to spending a lot of time with adults, he didn't necessarily enjoy it. The only skill he had acquired that could get him through a long, boring dinner like this one was his listening skills. It amazed even him sometimes the things he heard if he just sat quietly and pretended he wasn't there, allowing the adults to speak as they liked about whatever they liked. During this particular evening, a conversation had arisen between both pairs of grandparents about tradition and family values, things Scorpius had heard much about throughout his childhood.

"You aren't planning on having any more children, Astoria?" her mother, Scorpius's Granny, asked.

His mother shook her head and took a sip of her iced water.

"That is wise," his grandfather said, peering at his mother from across the table. "Once a desirable successor is had there is no need for any more children. Though… clearly, not all wizards agree."

"Just imagine what a dinner at the Weasley's house must look like, right Father? Children crawling around everywhere you looked, I expect." Draco shared a smirk with his father.

Though he kept his silence, Scorpius secretly thought dinner with a lot of children his age would be wonderful fun.

"Yes," his Grandad spoke up in his low, gruff voice. "We stopped after two, though we didn't have a boy to pass on the Greengrass name. You're lucky your first was a boy, and you've raised him well, Astoria."

"Thank you, Dad."

"Yes, Draco," Lucius added, turning to Scorpius. "He is a fine boy. He'll be a fine Slytherin, I'm sure."

Draco nodded, smiling fondly at Scorpius. Scorpius knew his parents loved him very much. They gave him anything he wanted. His grandparents loved him as well, but to a somewhat different level.

"Scorpius is very bright, and clever, aren't you dear?" His grandmother spoke up for the first time. Scopius liked his grandmother, his father's mother, most of all his grandparents. She often bought him puzzles and helped him put them together, and she wasn't nearly as intimidating as his grandfather was.

"I've made sure he studies hard," his father said proudly. "He'll be the most well-prepared student when he gets to Hogwart's tomorrow. I expect him to earn the title of 'Brightest Wizard of His Age.' He has the talent and the brains, though at times his curiosity can get the better of him."

"He _must_ study hard," Lucius said, suddenly sternly serious. "Knowledge is power these days, though that isn't how it always was…"

Draco had been right about his son's curiosity. He leaned in as his grandfather trailed off, hoping for more. The past wasn't a topic much talked about in the Malfoy Manor. Unfortunately for him, there was a change in point very soon after that and all mention of the past was dropped, along with the strange tension that had built up around it. The adults began talking about work and various boring things and Scorpius sunk back in his chair, no longer interested.

Later that evening the grandparents began to leave and Scorpius stood beside his mother and father by the door to send them off. Each grandparent wished Scorpius good luck at school. His grandmother kissed him lightly on the forehead, then his grandfather approached and looked down at him with those cold eyes.

"Focus on your studies and keep your nose clean," he said lowly, and Scorpius nodded. His grandfather then looked up, towards nothing in particular, and added almost to himself, "The Malfoy family has had enough trouble for a lifetime."

They left right after that, with no more explanation, leaving Scoprius to wonder yet again what the past of the Malfoy family looked like, and why no one ever wanted to talk about it.

* * *

><p>All his life, Scorpius had been assured that he would be in Slytherin house when he went to Hogwarts. This was so assured, no one in his family ever even tried to mention other houses or the possibility that Scorpius wouldn't be in Slytherin.<p>

The first time he had ever heard anything again Slytherin was on the train on his way to Hogwarts. He'd been sitting in a compartment with Albus, who he had recognized as a child he had spoken to in Gringotts a few years back. Though his father always told him not to be too friendly, Scorpius had been strangely drawn to the small, scruffly-haired boy who was staring unabashedly at the Goblin who was speaking to a man who was obviously the boy's father.

Though that meeting was short, it was the beginning of the relationship between Albus and Scorpius. Because Scorpius didn't know anyone else on the train besides the daughter of a family friend, Vincentia Goyle (whom he wasn't very fond of), he accepted Albus's invitation to spend the train ride in his compartment.

Already inside were Albus's brother, James, James's best friend and cousin, Fred, and Rose. Fred, who was two years older than James, was explaining the sorting to Rose who was still nervous about it. That was when Scorpius first heard James say,

"You won't be in Slytherin, Rose, no worries. Only bad wizards are, and you couldn't be bad if you tried."

"James! Not everyone in Slytherin is bad," Albus said, suddenly upset. "Dad said-"

"Not all bad?" James asked. "Well alright, Al, if you wanna be in Slytherin that badly I guess we can trade Asha in for a nice pet snake, how about that?"

Albus glared at his brother and placed a hand on top of a lump in his shirt that Scorpius hadn't noticed before. Albus then stood up and took a hold of Scorpius's robes, pulling him out of the compartment and into the hall.

"Come on, let's find somewhere else to sit."

As they left, James called after them, "But you know if you do get put in Slytherin you probably can't come to family reunions anymore, Al! Gryffindors and Slytherins just naturally hate each other!"

But the damage was done. Scorpius began to doubt Slytherin. And the more time he spent with Albus, the more he liked him, and the more he wished they would be placed in the same house, whatever it was, so that they could stay friends. He was sure that if he were placed in Slytherin and Albus in Gryffindor, it would be all over for them.

The closer Scorpius got to being sorted, the more anxious he became. He thought he'd been so sure before. Slytherin was all he'd known. But Albus surely wouldn't be in Slytherin, his father was the famous Harry Potter after all.

His doubts only grew when he walked into the Great Hall for the first time and saw what the people looked like at the Slytherin table. They all reminded him of his grandfather: intimidating and unfriendly. When Vincentia Goyle was placed in Slytherin his heart fell.

Finally his name was called. He walked slowly up to the stool and sat facing the crowd. Albus smiled at him from the line of other first years. Just as he was about to smile back, the sorting hat was dropped onto his head, covering his eyes because it was so large. A voice spoke almost as soon as the hat was placed onto his head.

"Malfoy, eh? You have plenty of brains, almost enough cleverness for a Ravenclaw but truly the ambition of a Slyther-"

_No! _Scorpius thought quickly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be in Slytherin anymore.

"Oh?" the hat asked. It seemed almost amused at this development. "You think you have the loyalty of a Hufflepuff or the bravery of a Gryffindor?"

Scorpius's head was spinning. He didn't know anymore. He didn't know what he was or what he wanted to be.

"Interesting…" the hat mused into his ears. "Well, if it would make you feel better, Ravenclaw house would be happy to accept you, and who knows, maybe the Potter boy who seems to be filling your head would go there as well. Hmmm… Though I'm not sure you're father would be too pleased if his son wasn't in Slytherin… You certainly would be an oddity in the Malfoy home. Very well then… RA-"

_STOP!_

The hat stopped and Scorpius bit his lips. His father. He hadn't thought about his father. His father was the one who always wanted him to study hard and be the best he could be. His father _would_ be upset if he wasn't in Slytherin, he just knew it.

"Well…?"

_Alright… Slytherin. I'll be in Slytherin._

"If you're sure, then… SLYTHERIN!"

When he took the hat off and went over to the Slytherin table, Scorpius felt very conflicted. He hoped he made the right decision. At least his parents would be proud.

A few names later and Potter, Albus was called. After a much shorter time on his head than on Scorpius's, the hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Scorpius's heart fell.

* * *

><p>When he woke up a little while later in the Slytherin common room, sitting in the same black, leather chair he'd fallen asleep in earlier, Scorpius shivered, noticing just how cold the Slytherin common room really was.<p>

He imagined the Gryffindor common room, and Albus, were both quite warm.

* * *

><p><strong>A little background on Scorpius, just cuz. You know. XD<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Year 1 – Beginning of spring**

Albus was sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast beside a few of the Gryffindor members of his family; Rose was on his left, James on his right, and Fred and Molly a ways down the table. Just as he took a bite of an egg and cheese biscuit there was a great fluttering of wings as the owls arrived with the morning post. Albus looked up, expecting a letter from home in reply to the one he'd sent his parents just the other day. James's owl Valiant landed gracefully in front of James, who untied the letter that was around his foot.

As James opened the letter and read it silently to himself, Valiant shuffled just a bit closer to Albus, peering curiously at the lump in his robes. Albus placed a hand over where Asha was coiled inside his pocket and glared disapprovingly at Valiant, only to offer the gray bird a bit of his biscuit a moment later.

"Oh no…" James groaned from behind the letter. Albus and Rose both turned his way curiously.

"What's wrong?" Albus asked. His bad habit of getting overly worried over nothing was acting up again.

James tossed the letter onto the table in front of Albus and motioned to it as though it spelled out his death sentence.

"Read for yourself."

Rose grabbed it before Albus had a chance too. She began reading it out loud as James sunk into the table, his arms around his head, muffling his continued groaning.

"'Dear James, just writing to remind you that your father will be coming to the school on Friday to give another Defense Against the Dark Arts seminar for your class. Be sure to tell Albus about it as well because we didn't mention it in his letter.' Oh!" Rose said excitedly. "Uncle Harry is coming to the school? How fun!"

"It's not _fun_!" James snapped, popping up from his groaning heap like a jack in the box. "He's _embarrassing_! And everyone always treats me funny after he comes. You know what I mean, don't you Albus? It'll be awful!"

Albus frowned. Though rare, there were times he agreed with his brother and this was definitely one of them. He wasn't sure about his Dad being embarrassing, but he hated the way people saw him when they knew his dad was Harry Potter. They always expected a lot more from him and he felt like he could never live up to those high expectations.

As if he needed another reason to doubt himself.

* * *

><p>Later that day as he and Scorpius sat practicing the Aguamenti charm, Albus told his best friend about his father's upcoming visit to Hogwarts.<p>

"Wow, Al, really? So I'll get to meet your dad, right? He's really famous, in all kinds of books, you know?"

"Yeah I-"

"When's he coming? Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah, I'm-"

"Come on, Albus, you sure are being really blasé about this." He paused, but not long enough for Albus to try and speak up again, then said curiously, "Is everything alright?"

Albus exhaled happily, giving Scorpius an amused smiled. At least he could tell when Albus wasn't in a great mood.

"I'm just… I don't really like it when everyone gets all excited about my dad. They always treat me differently because of him."

"But that's not such a bad thing, is it?"

Albus shrugged, wishing he could change the subject. He didn't want to burden Scorpius with the real reason he hated to be compared to his father. The other boy seemed to understand this and willingly changed the subject by asking,

"Have you ever though that Professor Wickflit is a bit odd sometimes?"

"How so?"

"He rearranges his words. It's odd."

"I know why he does that," Rose whispered, turning around in the seat in front of where Albus and Scorpius were sitting, "James told me."

"Told you what?" Albus asked, skeptical about anything his brother could have told her. James wasn't always the most honest of people and he really liked telling stories if it got a rise from his audience.

"He said that Professor Wickflit didn't used to be called Professor Wickflit. Last year and the years before that his name was Professor Flitwick."

Both Albus and Scorpius glanced simultaneously over to their charms teacher, a tiny man with pearly white hair that stuck up in odd places. He was so wrinkled from old age that some of the kids had come up with the nickname, "The Prune" in honor of his crinkled texture.

"James said that he's part goblin and sometime last year he was visiting with his goblin relatives when his little niece got a hold of his wand. And, you know, wands don't work quite the same for goblins so she sent a bit of stray magic and it hit poor Professor Flitwick. Nothing too bad happened but it messed with his brain a bit. He goes by Professor Wickflit now and he calls the Great Hall the "Hall Great" and Transfiguration, "Figuretransation" and things like that. Headmistress McGonagall has tried to make him retire but he's stubborn and says he likes teaching too much to leave."

Both Albus and Scorpius found this whole story a bit too amazing to be true.

"I don't buy it," Scorpius scowled. "How would James know all that anyway? I bet he just made it up to mess with people."

Rose puffed out her cheeks and turned back around just in time for Professor Wickflit to appear in front of her. She nearly fell out of her chair in surprise. Scorpius snickered behind his book as Rose performed a weak Aguamenti charm and dripped water onto Professor Wickflits shoes.

"Nothing to worry about, dear," he squeaked with a flick of his wand to dry himself off. As Rose continued practicing he moved up to where Scorpius and Albus were. He could barely see over the desk as he asked Scorpius to give the charm a try. Scorpius had water pouring from his wand and into the cup he'd been given without a drop going anywhere it shouldn't. Professor Wickflit praised him then turned to Albus and smiled encouragingly.

"Why don't you give it a try, Mr. Terpot? I taught your father too, did you know that? He could do the most splendid Summoning charm. Ah, but you will learn all about those in your fourth year. Try the Mentiagua charm for now, just like Mr. Foymal did."

Albus gulped and nodded, acutely aware of half the class looking towards him now that Professor Wickflit had just mentioned how wonderful his dad was at charms. He rolled up his sleeves and held his wand aimed at the cup on the edge of his and Scorpius's desk.

"A- aguamenti!" he said nervously and flinched when the tiniest spurt of water shot from the tip of his wand and made it halfway to the cup he'd been aiming for. His stomach fell and he dropped his hand unhappily. Professor Wickflit gently reached up and patted him on the shoulder just as the bell rang for the end of class.

"Don't feel down, it is a difficult spell. I usually teach it later but I felt like upping it mix this year. You'll get it eventually."

Albus nodded again as he shoved his wand into his robes and slung his bag over his shoulder. Scorpius wished he knew something that could make his friend feel better but he still wasn't sure exactly what was wrong with him.

"For workhome," Wickflit squeaked as students streamed out of class all around him, "practice!"

* * *

><p>As the days grew closer to the fateful day when Harry Potter was going to come to the school and give a presentation, Harry Potter's sons grew more and more reserved. James displayed this by snapping at nearly anyone who tried to ask him a simple question and Albus by becoming even quieter and more sulk-ish than usual.<p>

"So…" Scorpius began softly as he sat down beside Albus beneath the tree near the Lake the two of them often frequented. "Your dad's coming today."

Albus's entire body seemed to sink into the roots he was sitting on. Scorpius wished he could do something, anything, to make Albus feel better. He tried to, at least, not act as excited about Harry Potter's visit as he really was.

"Al, can't you tell me what's really bothering you?"

Albus looked up at Scorpius, his bright green eyes reflecting his downtrodden feelings perfectly. He sniffed and rubbed his cheek with his sleeve then glanced away, back towards the water.

"Is your dad really _that_ embarrassing?"

Albus shook his head.

"Then, you're worried about how everyone treats you because your dad is famous?"

Albus hesitated for a moment then nodded.

"But that's not something to be this upset about, Al. Besides, people will go back to normal after all this is over."

Albus gave no reply. Scorpius still felt as though there was something else. He leaned in very close to Albus, their noses almost touching. Albus's eyes grew wide as Scorpius's narrowed thoughtfully.

"Tell me what's really wrong, Al. I am your best friend, aren't I?"

He held Albus's gaze for a whole minute before Albus finally turned his head and pulled his knees up to his chest, muttering quietly,

"I'm not good enough to be Harry Potter's son…"

Scorpius was both taken aback by this confession and rather saddened by it. He'd had no idea Albus felt that way.

"You- you don't really mean that, do you, Albus?"

"Sorry!" Albus replied quickly, burying his face in his robes, "I know it's stupid! I shouldn't have said it out loud!"

Scorpius didn't quite know what to say. He'd never had to comfort anyone before. Albus went on rambling after a minute. He seemed a bit panicked and now that he'd let the first bit slip, the rest of the things he was feeling just came up and he couldn't stop them.

"It's just- People _always_ say, 'your dad is so great' and, 'your dad did all this stuff,' and, 'you look just like your dad!' Like they expect me to be just like him because I look like him and I'm his son and I know how amazing he was, he's still really amazing, but I'm not amazing and I'm stupid and even James is smarter than I am and-"

"Stop!" Scorpius said, almost angrily. "Al, you are not stupid! What's wrong with you? That's not something you say about yourself. Especially not you, Albus!"

Scorpius could hardly believe what he was hearing. No way Albus really believed all those things about himself! Sure, he lacked confidence, but Scorpius had never thought it was this bad.

"And your brother is _not_ smarter than you! He's just a prankster git! Who cares if people compare you to your dad? You aren't him, you're Albus."

"But-"

"Now, come on!" Scorpius said, rising to his feet and grabbing Albus's sleeve to pull him up as well. "We're going to go to the Great Hall and wait for your dad and it'll be over before you know it and you won't have to worry about this anymore, right?"

"I- I suppose-" Albus mumbled as Scorpius pulled him along towards the Castle.

Scorpius held onto the front of Albus's robes all the way up the stairs and into the strangely crowded hallway just inside the main entrance to the school. Albus could tell how flustered his confessions had made Scorpius and somehow it made him feel a bit better. His friend was trying his best to make him feel better, and he even got angry for him.

"Scorpius?" Albus asked softly.

"Hm?" Scorpius reply without turning around.

"I'm sorry."

"What do you think you're apologizing fo-"

Scorpius's question was cut off and Albus never had a chance to reply because just then, Scorpius accidentally ran into someone while trying to get through the crowded hallway. He looked up and into a face that looked so much like Albus's he nearly fell over.

"Albus!" Harry said, smiling down at his son and the boy who had just walked into him who was still holding tightly onto his son's robes. "I'm glad I found you. Who's your friend?"

Harry felt it more polite to ask though he knew perfectly well exactly who the small, blond boy was. Despite having been worrying over his father's visit all week long, a bright smile broke out on Albus's face as soon as he recognized his Dad. He was actually immensely glad to see him. If it weren't for the circumstances, Albus wouldn't have worried about seeing his dad at all.

"This is my friend," Albus said. "Scorpius Malfoy."

Harry smiled down at Scorpius and held out his hand so Scorpius could shake it in a proper introduction.

"It's very nice to meet you, Scorpius."

* * *

><p><strong>Blaaargh this chapter is too long! And I didn't even get to writing about Harry's actual reason for visiting, but whatever. I mostly accomplished what I wanted to accomplish in this chapter: Albus's insecurities and Professor FlitwickWickflit. See, I had a perfectly good reason for naming him that. XD**

**Accio reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Year 1 – Spring**

About a week after Harry Potter's "fantastically interesting" seminar on Dark arts and Dark wizards, warm weather spread across the grounds around Hogwarts and made Herbology nearly everyone's least favorite class. On a few particularly scorching days, Professor Longbottom decided work could be postponed and simply told everyone stories for the duration of the lesson. Albus and Scorpius understood clearly what this heat-wave meant; school was coming to an end.

Because of increased pressure to do well on exams, their time together had been growing increasingly shorter as the weather warmed. They had taken to grabbing their lunches from the Great Hall and eating under their favorite tree by the lake so they could actually sit together without anyone staring at them funny because they weren't eating with their houses. These lunch meals eventually became the only time they spent with each other outside of the few classes Gryffindor and Slytherin shared. Scorpius was a studying maniac. Albus wondered how it was possible there were so many books to read in the library but somehow Scorpius inevitably had a new one every time he saw him. Albus tried to study but always wound up hopelessly distracted by James or Asha or some random thought that popped into his head for no good reason at all.

Albus and Scorpius shared the same feeling of regret when they noticed the lessening amount of time they spent together. It made them not look forward to the end of school as much as they might have otherwise. If not for their desire to interact with each other, neither boy had any other reason to want school to go on any longer than it had to. Both boys missed their families and could use a break from the endless work that was constantly piled upon them. They both dreamed longingly of their bedrooms at home, even describing them to each other during one sweltering lunch by the lake.

"My room is the biggest in the house," Scorpius said boastfully. "I measured it last year. Mother and Father's room is exactly twenty-eight centimeters shorter going across, but my room doesn't look like the biggest because I have a lot of models in it."

"What kind of models?" Albus asked as he took a large bite from his egg salad sandwich that was determined to fall apart in his hands.

"All kinds, but mostly planet ones and dragons. I have a Hungarian Horntail that flies around the ceiling and shoots bits of fire if you throw stuff at it! When I was younger my father would buy them for me and help me build them for something to do. I have a lot of books in my room too. I read them like mad so I always have to get more. Mother has had to expand my bookshelf six times already because the books didn't all fit."

"I'd love to see it some time!" Albus said with a smile, imagining that Scorpius's room was probably always very clean and organized, just like the boy himself.

"You should!" Scorpius replied instantly, dropping his own sandwich back onto its plate as he stared at Albus with wide, excited eyes. The idea of a real friend visiting his room was enough to make him completely forget about eating lunch at all. The only person his age who'd ever been in his room was Vincentia Goyle, and it wasn't because he'd wanted her there, his father had practically forced him, AND she'd broken something about the second after she walked inside. But he wouldn't even mind if Albus broke something, he was worth forgiving.

They talked some more about visiting each other's houses over the summer break, and then Scorpius asked what Albus's room looked like.

"Er…" Albus began a bit unwillingly. "It's almost always messy and, well, it doesn't smell very good because of Asha. Not that she's dirty or anything!" he stated quickly, feeling foolish for having said anything at all about the smell of his room. "I make sure to wash her every other day, but it still kind of smells like her because she's an animal and she's always in there with me. I doubt it's as big as yours is, but I don't have too much in there. James and Lily are a lot better at keeping their things inside their own rooms than I am, I always leave everything lying around the house." He paused for a moment as if debating whether he should add something else. "I have a lot of muggle stuff in my room… and a few games and some parchment for writing or drawing."

"What kind of muggle stuff?" Scorpius asked offhandedly.

"Er," Albus blushed lightly. "T- there are these things called 'beanbag chairs' that muggles used to use a lot, and I have a few of those on the floor so that people have somewhere to sit when they come in my room because it's hard to sit on the bed because it's a loft and there isn't a lot of room once you get up to it. There's a really nice view out of this round window from the bed though!"

Albus blushed again, feeling as though he'd said too much. Explaining beanbag chairs to people was always more complicated than he wished it to be and he never felt like he did a good enough job of it.

Scorpius was thoughtful and silent, not thinking too much about the beanbag chairs themselves but why Albus said he needed them in his room. Some of the things Albus said always reminded him that he and Albus had had very different lives. He'd never really had anyone in his room and it seemed like Albus had company visiting him so often he had to get chairs just for all his visitors to have somewhere to sit. Scorpius knew it was probably just cousins and siblings but it was still more than Scorpius had ever had.

"Scorpius?" Albus asked, looking to his friend curiously. Scorpius jerked his head up and smiled, quick to change the subject by asking jokingly,

"So, are these muggle chairs really made of beans then?"

Albus nervously tried describing a beanbag chair to a thoroughly amused Scorpius until lunch was over and they had to go their separate ways. Scorpius didn't enjoy having to pack up their food and head back into the castle, cooler though it may be, it meant separating from Albus and heading into the depths of the castle dungeons for Potions. After a year of being ignored by Professor Harthrow, Scorpius could easily say Potions was his least favorite class.

His father found this strange and concerning when he'd first mentioned it in a letter. The advice his father had given him was to work harder because Potions was a worthy subject and he needed to do well in _all _his classes, not just the ones he liked. This hadn't particularly comforted Scorpius so he just decided not to mention Potions in his letters home anymore, not that that made the class itself any better.

It wasn't as though Scorpius hated the subject. In fact, he rather liked it, particularly the solidarity of it. He enjoyed pouring over his cauldron and trying to make something perfectly on his own, not have to rely on another classmate or partner. Whenever he had to work with someone in another class they always let him down. He only liked partnering with Albus because Albus let him do what he liked and never judged him or tried to tell him how to do something.

The thing Scorpius disliked about Potions was the teacher; Professor Harthrow, a middle-aged, rather plain looking wizard who seemed to find absolutely nothing interesting at all. He didn't even seem to care for his subject, when he spoke about Potions it was in the same flat tone of voice he used for everything. He completely lacked passion, but seemed to have some sort of emotion beneath the surface of emotionlessness that Scorpius couldn't quite confirm was there or not.

Scorpius was convinced Professor Harthrow didn't like him. At the beginning of the year he had thought the Potions master simply hated him, but as the year when on he decided that might have been too harsh. To actively hate Scorpius, Professor Harthrow would have to acknowledge that he existed and so far, no such thing had happened. Scorpius all but went mute in Potions class. He'd given up trying to answer question within the first month of school and resigned himself to just passing quietly and easily. Silence was a valuable skill that Scorpius had cultivated over many years of boring dinners with adults who prized children who were "seen, not heard." By keeping to himself and listening intently to instructions, Scorpius kept a passing grade in Potions, but always felt somehow degraded when he left the dungeon at the end of class and headed to his next lesson.

Towards the end of the year he really found himself wishing that Professor Harthrow would either quit or get fired, then maybe he could have a Potions teacher he actually enjoyed and not one who made him feel like something foul, even though he'd never done one thing wrong as far as he could remember.

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><p><strong>Accio... reviews? Lol I'm sorry but you have to admit that's a clever way of asking for reviews! XD<strong>


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